DEMARAI GRAY rode to the rescue for in-form Leicester and then said he is ready to take a kicking to play his part in the exciting end to their season.

Gray answered a late SOS and starred in the Foxes’ fifth straight victory under Craig Shakespeare despite being ‘wiped out’ early on by Potters captain Ryan Shawcross with what his manager compared to a ‘WWF move’.

Now the young Leicester winger says he will happily get kicked from pillar to post to nail down a regular starting place as Shakespeare’s men chase Premier League safety and Champions League glory.

“He came and wiped me out with a bad tackle but when I play I’ve got to have an impact on the game and be lively and direct and I did that,” said Gray, 20, who stepped in hours before the game for the unwell Marc Albrighton.

“Hopefully I can be consistent and get a run of games. I just take it as a compliment. If they see me as a threat it’s a good thing and that’s also good for the team because if they focus on me that could take the focus off other players in the team.

“It’s a big learning curve. I was trying to stay away from him (Shawcross). But I’m going to come up against those type of defenders, so if I get knocked down I’ve just got to get up.

GETTY

Craig Shakespeare has now won his first five games in charge of Leicester

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The win saw Craig Shakespeare become only the fifth man – and first Englishman – to win his first four games as a Premier League manager after Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola.

Ndidi rifled a 25-yard effort into the top corner on 25 minutes for his first Premier League goal and two minutes after the break Vardy volleyed home a Danny Simpson cross to finish off a lethargic Stoke side who are still chasing a fourth successive top-10 finish.

“It was difficult to take but we were playing the champions of England and it’s a difficult game,” said Shawcross. “It was disappointing for us to not perform but we are still ninth.

“We got a bit of media in the first year we got into the Premier League for staying up but since then it’s been little old Stoke.